U.S. Open plays in prime time

As if Tiger Woods’ return to competition isn’t enough — he hasn’t played since the Masters in April — the U.S Open should provide big numbers for NBC and ESPN this week for one simple reason — prime-time coverage.

Because the 108th Open will be played on the West Coast (the Torrey Pines South Course in San Diego), the network windows have been adjusted to allow for the later sunsets. The first three rounds will have live coverage until 10 p.m. EDT (and if history is an indicator, the networks likely will have to go a little beyond that) and final-round coverage is scheduled to end at 9 p.m. — leading into the Game 5, if necessary, of the NBA playoffs.